Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

Decoding Blood: The History of Genetics and DNA Profiling (Forensics Part 2)

Follow Shane and Duncan along the twists and turns of the double helix as they unravel the history of genetics and DNA profiling. From Watson and Crick to the Human Genome Project, from Green River to the Golden State Killer, learn how genetic material holds the key to solving seemingly unsolvable crimes and curing formerly incurable diseases. 
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In this episode:  
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: The "Blueprint for Life"
The Structure of DNA
Nucleotides: Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine, Guanine
Sugar Phosphates
Friedrick Miescher
Photo 51
Rosalind Franklin
Watson and Crick
The Eagle Pub
Nature Magazine
DNA Sequencing
Frederick Sanger
The Human Genome Project
DNA Profiling
Jeffrey Glassberg
Alec Jeffries
Murderer Colin Pitchfork: The First Success
Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism
The Green River Killer: Gary Ridgeway
The Golden State Killer: James D'Angelo Junior
CODIS: The Combined Data Index System
Touch-DNA
The Pitfalls of Partial DNA
Successes
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Blood, Sweat, Fingerprints and Tears: Forensic Science

What do blood, sweat, tears, and fingerprints have in common? They can all be used to solve crimes. In this episode of Midnight Facts for Insomniacs, Shane and Duncan explore the fascinating world of forensic science, and debunk some of the most ridiculous Hollywood myths. Crime doesn't pay, but it sure makes for a great episode…
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In this episode:  
A short history of forensics
Pre-forensics
Trial by combat
Cruentation
Eureka! Archimedes and water displacement
The Theory of Discernable Uniqueness
Likelihood Ratios
Fingerprints
Dermal Ridge Skin
Turing Patterns
Whorls, Loops, and Arches
The Henry Classification System
Dermatoglyphs
Adermatoglyphia
Dactyloscopy
Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer
Jean Evangelista Purkyne
Henry Faulds
The Loupe
The first success: Francisca Rojas
Paul Jean Coulier and iodine fuming
IAFIS: Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
Blood Spatter
Michael C. Hall and Dexter Morgan
Herbert MacDonell
The [Basement] Laboratory of Forensic Science
The International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts
Debunking: The 2009 report by the National Academy of Sciences
Splatter vs Spatter
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Famous Ships Lost at Sea

Which nautical tragedy represents the largest loss of life in non-combat American Navy history? Are there any undiscovered shipwrecks in American lakes? How much treasure would you get to keep if you could find the most valuable shipwreck that still hasn’t been discovered? Prepare for a journey through maritime history’s darkest waters, as Shane and Duncan delve into four chilling tales of ships lost at sea…
 
~In this episode:  
USS Cyclops
Flor de la Mar
Le Griffon
SS Waratah
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Native American Mythology

Join Shane and Duncan as they attempt to navigate the sensitive topic of Native American mythology, exploring the elusive world of talking coyotes, giant turtles, divine peace pipes, and the cosmic dance between gods and mortals. 
~In this episode:  
Debunking "Spirit Animals"
The "Noble Savage"
Keep America Beautiful and the Most Famous Tear on TV
Iron Eyes Cody (Espera de Corti)
Native American Philosophies on Nature
Indigenous History in the Americas
Creation Myth - The Great Turtle (aka Turtle Island)
The Chitimacha and the The Great Spirit
Coyote and the Permanence of Death
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Bonus Re-Release: The Pagan Origins of Christmas

Christmas comes early this year with the bonus re-release of one of our favorite episodes exploring the strange, pagan, occasionally twisted origins of the Christmas holiday. How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic numerology message 20+C+M+B+22? And what's with all of those airborne reindeer? 
Welcome to Ghosts of Christmases Past, in which Shane and Duncan explore how tree-worship and animal sacrifice evolved into the bizarre, festive, highly commercialized holiday we know today. So whether you're feeling the Christmas spirit or just feeling jaded and grinchy, grab a cup of heavily-spiked eggnog, get cozy by the yule-log, and join the boys as they unpack the fascinating pagan history of Christmas.
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In this episode:  
Christmastide
Christmas Eve
The Feast of Saint Stephen, Protomartyr
Childermas, The Feast of the Holy Innocents
Herod the Great
The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, Octave of the Nativity, Solemnity of Mary
The Feast of the Holy Family
12th Night, Epiphany Eve
Chalking the Door
Saturnalia
The Holiday of Yule
Yule Boar, Yule Goat, Yule Log
Anglican Revelers vs. Puritan Grinches
The Story of the Nativity
December 25th Becomes the Arbitrary DOB
Christenmas, Christ Mass, and Xmas
Christmas Trees
Saint Nicholas of Myra, aka Saint Nick, aka Nicholas the Wonderworker
Sinterklaas 
Christmases Around the World
Reindeer
Thomas Nast
Haddon Sundblom and Coca-Cola
 
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Gunpowder, Treason, Masks, and Plot: The Legend of Guy Fawkes

Join Shane and Duncan for an explosive tale of political intrigue, religious fervor, and a daring conspiracy that could have reshaped an entire nation. 
~In this episode:  
King Henry VIII and the Anglican Church
Catholics vs Protestants
"Bloody" Mary I of England
Queen Elizabeth I
King James VI and I
Robert Catesby
Thomas Wintour
John Wright
Guy Fawkes
The Secret Police
Priest Holes
Elizabeth Stuart and the Extended Plot
Parliament Delayed
The Accidental Conspirator: Thomas Bates
Robert Keyes
Keeping it in the Family: John Grant, Christopher "Kit" Wright, and Robert Wintour
Francis Tresham...Double Cross?
The Baron Monteagle Letter
Search and Seizure
The Plot is Foiled
The Final Stand at Holbeche House
Executions
Bonfire Night
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ScamFluencers Part Two: The Worst of the Worst

Last episode was just a warm-up. Swindle month continues, this time with actual influencers! These are the worst of the worst…
~In this episode:  
Yovana Mendoza (Rawvana)
Belle Gibson
The Liver King (Brian Johnson)
~
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ScamFluencers: Social Media Grifters and Con Artists

The internet is a dangerous place. Hold onto your wallet as MFFI takes you on a scamtastic tour of two of the most notorious online swindles of the last decade. 
~In this episode:  
Fyre Fest
The 2017 GoFundMe Con
~
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Legendary ”Cursed” Objects

Spooky season continues!
A car that killed a star. A haunted doll. A vindictive painting. Are any of these items genuinely cursed? Not a chance.  But hey, it’s it’s going to be a wild ride. Join Shane and Duncan for a silly, skeptical romp through the darkest corners of the untamed internet.
~In this episode:  
James Dean’s Little Bastard
Robert the Doll
“The Hands Resist Him”
~
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True, Creepy, Unsolved Mysteries

Spooky season has arrived! Join Shane and Duncan for a trio of mind-bending mysteries: first, venture into the frozen enigma of Dyatlov Pass, then wander the eerie halls of the Cecil Hotel, and finally unravel the perplexing tale of the Somerton Man.
~
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